Thursday, February 25, 2016

For four years of High School I was a
talmid of Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Monsey. During those years the Rosh Yeshiva
was one of my lifelong rabbeim, Rabbi Berel Wein shlita. Throughout my High
School years Rabbi Wein had ‘one foot out the door’ in the sense that he had
been attempting to make aliyah to Eretz Yisroel. He and his family finally
departed for good during the summer of 1997.

The real truth is that I graduated High
School in June 1997 and once I left I think Rabbi Wein felt there was not much for
him to stay for. [He had no way of knowing at that time that I would return to
Shaarei Torah a year and a half later, and remain there for another 8 years…]

The following Elul I was learning in
yeshiva in Yerushalayim. Along with my (former) classmate Yaakov Lieder we were
invited to join Rabbi Wein for a seudah in his succah on Succos on the mirpeset
(porch) of his apartment in Rechaviah.

It was a special seudah in many ways. Just
before kiddush Rabbi Wein commented that “this succah is a dream of ours for
thirty years”. What a beautiful thing to hear – the fulfillment of a
decades-long dream.

He then pointed out to us that there
were trinkets hanging around the succah from different countries throughout the
world. [It is fairly known that Rabbi Wein is a world traveler and he collected
those items during his vast travels.] It was fascinating to see items from,
literally, the four corners of the earth.

It struck me recently that our tables,
particularly our Shabbos tables, contain a similar aggregate of things from
around the world.

With only a small modicum of research I
realized the following: The tea lights for our Shabbos candles are from Europe,
our Shabbos china is from the Philippines (everything in America is made in
China, except the china is from the Philippines – go figure), the napkins
were from Atlanta, GA, plastic tablecloth from Wilmington, DE (we only use a
plastic on Friday night, so please don’t discount a shidduch for our daughters
because of that), wine from California, soup croutons from Eretz Yisroel,
pickles from India (!), salad from Canada, eggs from Pennsylvania, lemon juice
for the avocado salad from Argentina(!), meat from somewhere in the Midwest.
And all that is merely the tip of the iceberg (or Romaine).

I called my friend Yishai Malul, of Monsey
Florist, and asked him where his store gets their flowers from. He replied that
they are primarily from Ecuador
and Columbia in South
America. They are flown to Miami
and then trucked to New York.

At the beginning of bentching we thank
Hashem “who sustains the entire world with goodness, grace, kindness and
mercy.” It’s something to think about. On our Shabbos tables in our humble
homes, our tables are graced with things we enjoy that span hundreds if not
thousands of miles in order for them to get there.

And to think that they all gathered
together just so you and your family can enjoy on Shabbos Kodesh.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Do you know who really knows everything? The cab drivers in Eretz
Yisroel. If you don't believemejust ask them. Actually, you
don't have to ask them, they'll tell you themselves.

During our time in Eretz Yisroel we had our fair share of ear-chewing from
the incomparable cab drivers of Yerushalayim. This included harangues about
life, running the country, why it would or wouldn't snow in Jerusalem, what it means to be a bar mitzvah,
and generally about why every other driver in the country is "dafuk"
except for themselves. (One of our favorite moments was when, to the
consternation of our cabdriver, someone honked him. He opened his window and
screamed "lamah (why) beep beep?" It was only seconds
later when he himself honked someone else that Shalom and I bit our tongues to
stifle ourselves from calling out "lamah beep beep?")

It’s even
more exciting when the driver want to prove to
you how religious he is! [No one ever sang Aishes Chayil tomebefore!] What’s more, all this is happening while the nehag
(driver) is trying to maneuver his way through the impossible Jerusalem traffic. The way they traverse
those circular intersections make American roller coasters seem lame.

Despite all that I was still surprised when two of the cabs we were in
passed a cop in the left lane. It’s just not something you see Americans doing.
But then again, in America
you never hear people screaming at cops in their face either.

Just prior to our departure from Eretz Yisroel, as we were sitting in a
taxi on our way to Ben Gurion for our return flight, I mentioned to the driver
that I really got a kick out of Israeli cab drivers, especially when they cut
off cops. When I told him that such a thing would never happen in America, he
quickly replied that I was wrong. He then related that he was once driving in Florida trailing a cop
going about 60 MPH. After a few minutes he became impatient (shocking!) and
decided to pass the cop. As he was passing in the left lane he turned to look
at the officer. In his words ‘the cop was wearing the most ridiculous hat I had
ever seen in his life, along with a silly beige uniform’. [It was obviously a
state trooper - who aren’t known for the senses of humor or flexibility). He
couldn’t help himself and began laughing uncontrollably.

Moments later the trooper pulled him over. He lowered his window and the
cop began ranking him out. In the driver’s words, “I speak English good, but I
really couldn’t understand what in the world the cop was saying. He was
speaking too fast. After he finished I said to him, ‘Listen officer, I don’t
know if you will give me a ticket or not. But I’m a tourist and I just have to
take a picture with you!’”

Would you believe that the cop agreed to be in a picture with him and
then let him go without issuing him a ticket! Only Israelis!

All of us have fears and anxieties that hold us back from greater
accomplishment. At times its self-doubt, other times its fear of failure, and
yet other times its feelings of inferiority, unworthiness, or simply lack of
time and resources. Often it’s a matter of having the guts to pull into the
left lane, to jump into it and bypass our fears. How often does it happen that
when we finally overcome our inhibitions we look in our rearview mirror and
laugh at ourselves– ‘how could that have held me back for so long?’ But we have
to have the courage to traverse our fears first.

We can’t always wait for opportunity to arise. More often than not we
have to be ready to overcome our inhibitions and thereby create opportunities…
even though at times it may mean dealing with the sirens in the rearview
mirror.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

While standing and davening at the Kosel Hama’aravi last week I
was reminded of the following anecdote I had once heard:

An elderly man
who was attending an NFL game one Sunday afternoon with his family. In the
middle of the game, the man suddenly stood up and began screaming at the top of
his lungs “SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE! SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE!” The family
became alarmed as they tried to clam him. But he continued repeatedly
screaming, “SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE! SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND PEOPLE!” They
feared that he had lost his mind until he screamed, "THERE ARE SIXTY FIVE
THOUSAND PEOPLE AT THIS GAME! AND THAT BIRD FLYING OVERHEAD COULD NOT FIND
ANYONE ELSE BESIDES ME!”

I was reminded of
the story while my eyes were closed and my head was leaning upon my arm which
was propped against the Kosel. I leave it to you, dear reader, to understand
why I was reminded of that story at that particular moment.

I also remembered
a friend of mine relating to me that he had a similar experience while davening
at the kosel. He looked up and said “I know when I'm not wanted.” And with that
he turned around and left.

But then I
thought that perhaps the opposite is true. Maybe my prayer is so potent and
important that the Satan is doing all in his power to hinder it because he
knows just how valuable it is.

So, after
cleaning myself off, I resumed my prayer.

Whenever one
intends to accomplish something good he should expect that all will not be rosy
and easy. To attain anything worthwhile entails exertion, effort, and
perseverance.

My rebbe, Rabbi
Berel Wein, notes that he used to have a clip which held his bills (he notes
that it was a rather large clip) on which was written: “Confidence is the
feeling you have until you realize the problem!”

It's not enough
to be motivated to accomplish; one has to be motivated enough that he is ready
to deal with the inevitable challenges.

It's kinda like
playing in the Super Bowl. It's not enough for a team to want to win badly and
to be motivated as such. They also have to know how to break through the
opposition who stands starkly in the way of their ultimate goal.

I'll conclude by
saying that lest you think birds don't take aim at great people too. I was told
that the noted (and very sharp) Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi,
also had a similar experience that I had at the kosel.

Afterwards he
relates that the Gemara recounts that Rav Yonasan ben Uziel was so holy, “if a
bird flew overhead while he was learning, it was immediately consumed by fire”.
Rav Ezrachi then quipped, “I'm not Rav Yonasan ben Uziel who causes birds to
become consumed when they fly overhead. But 'efshar a tziter' - perhaps
(I cause them to) tremble.”

Thursday, February 4, 2016

There were many special highlights and memorable moments
during my recent trip to Eretz Yisroel with my son Shalom, in honor of his bar
mitzvah. We had the zechus of receiving berachos from many gedolim, we davened
at the kevarim of tzaddikim who lived throughout the generations, we visited
family who live there, and we saw a sampling of some of the wonders and majestic
beauty of the Land.

I would like to share what I felt was one of the most moving
moments of our trip:

The day before we returned home, my brother Yaakov's
father-in-law, R' Moshe Primishleanu, drove us on an incredible one day tiyul
up north. We left from Yerushalayim and headed north via the JordanValley
all the way to Teveriah (kevarim of Rabbi Meir Ba'al Hanes, Rabbi Akiva,
Ramchal, Rambam, and Shelah). We saw the place where the Kineret begins to flow
into the Jordan River, and some time later we saw where the opposite side where
the northern section of the Jordan
flows into the top of the Kineret. We headed all the way to the northern
border, to the summit of a mountain called BenTal, where there was snow on the
ground. At its peak there was a patrol of four UN soldiers (Danish, Austrian,
Indian, and Pakistan).
From there we could see the nearby snow-capped Har Chermon, and had a clear
view well into Syria.
We then drove back down through the norther city of Kiryat Shmoneh, and down through the Galil,
from which the Lebanese border was visible.

We davened in Amuka at the kever of Rabbi Yonasan Ben Uziel,
and then headed up towards Tzefas.

I had read that Abayei and Rava were buried in the vicinity
of Tzefas, but that it was a bit off the road and somewhat challenging to find.

In yeshiva Shalom was learning the beginning of the fifth
perek of Bava Kamma, which discusses the halacha in an unusual case where a
pregnant cow gored an ox. There is a classic machlokes (dispute) between Abayei
and Rava regarding the details of the scenario which the Mishna discusses.

As we had just reviewed that Gemara that morning I asked R'
Moshe if we could visit the graves of Abayei and Rava.

Despite the challenge in getting there, R' Moshe was more
than willing to oblige. With just minutes to sunset, we drove to the end of the
road and onto a bumpy unsettled path heading up a steep hill. Somehow the car
made it up. At the end of the path we had to walk to the top of the mountain,
from where there was a breathtaking view of the entire area. At the top was a
now dark and cold cave into which we descended. At the end was the simple
graves of the two holy Amoraim simply marked with their names.

Shalom and I stood in front of the two timeless Talmudic
personalities whose name grace numerous pages of the Talmud, and orally
reviewed the gemara's discussion, particularly the dispute. For me it was an
extremely emotional moment. A Torah dispute between two sages that transpired
and was recorded close to two thousand years ago being vividly and excitedly
recounted by a father and his son who is celebrating his bar mitzvah. There we
recounted the timeless words about a pregnant cow goring an ox.

We then continued on to Tzefas and then Meron, before heading
back to yerushalayim via Acco, Chaifa, and Tel Aviv.

However, the experience of reviewing Torah taught centuries
ago in front of the graves of such familiar personalities, as their lips
moved along with us before us, was humbling and awe-inspiring. The words of the
Gemara took on new meaning.

It was a timeless experience in a timeless land. It's part of
the privilege we have being members of a timeless people!